Jessica Hecht and Mikhail Baryshnikov to Star In THE ORCHARD At Baryshnikov Arts Center

Arlekin's (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab, Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation, Groundswell Theatricals, Inc., & ShowOne Productions will present a new adaptation of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, starring Jessica Hecht and featuring ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov.

The Orchard, conceived, adapted, and directed by Ukrainian born theater director Igor Golyak, is translated by Carol Rocamora, with some additional material developed by Golyak.

This hybrid production includes two simultaneous and intersecting theatrical experiences - a live performance at The Baryshnikov Arts Center (450 W. 37th Street) and a separate interactive virtual experience online that audiences can participate in live from around the globe.

Produced by Arlekin's (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab, Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation, Groundswell Theatricals, Inc., & ShowOne Productions, the limited engagement of The Orchard begins previews on May 31 with opening night set for June 16, and will run through July 3.

The Orchard invites us into the fragile world of a family yearning for connection and struggling with the end of their world as they know it. Threatened with foreclosure and the loss of their beloved orchard, they face unstoppable, destructive forces that dismantle their lives like the breaking of a string.

Developed through Arlekin's (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab, The Orchard is a hybrid piece of theater and can be seen in two formats: Live & In-Person at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and The Virtual Experience - Online.

The cast is helmed by Jessica Hecht (Fiddler on the Roof, Breaking Bad, Friends) as Ranevskaya, with Anna Baryshnikov (Manchester By The Sea), Juliet Brett (Fosse/Verdon), Darya Denisova (State vs. Natasha Banina), John McGinty (Children of a Lesser God), Nael Nacer (chekhovOS), and Mark Nelson (Angels In America). Mikhail Baryshnikov will play both Anton Chekhov and Firs.

The Orchard is an intimate, fully staged live performance of The Cherry Orchard as translated by Carol Rocamora and adapted by Golyak. An international team of collaborators, spanning theater, gaming, film, robotics, and emerging technologies, was assembled to create the world of The Orchard. Audiences in the theater will enter an immersive, dreamlike environment where perceptions, illusions, and reality collide as a family in crisis tries to process their uncertain future.

The creative team includes scenic design by Anna Fedorova, costume design by Oana Botez, lighting design by Yuki Link, and sound design by Tei Blow. The robotics are designed by a team led by Adam Paikowsky of dotdotdash.io, and holographic projections conceived by Golyak.

The virtual experience online invites audiences on a journey through a beautifully rendered, three dimensional virtual property that has been abandoned and is in foreclosure. There, audiences can explore and discover magical rooms where they uncover echoes of a past life, now lost, including Chekhov's letters, memories, and ultimately the play, live, in progress at the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

The creative team of the Virtual Experience includes virtual scenic design by Anna Fedorova, in partnership with Alex Coulombe of Agile Lens, Athomas Goldberg of Lifelike & Believable Animation Design, and Unreal designers Daniel Cormino, Yu-Jun Yeh and Emily Cho, with virtual sound design by Alexey Prosvirnin, and interactivity design by Sasha Huh.

The in-person and online versions will run concurrently - live - for each performance. Partway through the performances, the two versions intersect and the worlds come together.

"This is a story about the delicate relationships at the center of a family facing the end of the world as they know it," said Igor Golyak. "We are living through an unimaginable time of change and destruction with the war in Ukraine and with the pandemic. As humans, we are perpetually losing our cherry orchards, losing our worlds. This play is about us today."

"Our incredible creative team is collaborating at the edges of artistry, traditional theater techniques, and emerging technologies to bring The Orchard to life," said Executive Producer Sara Stackhouse. "We are creating something that audiences can see in person and then can return to another night online for a second and totally unique artistic experience. This is the new world of hybrid production and a new frontier for theater."

The performance schedule is: Tuesday - Thursday at 7PM, Friday - Saturday at 8PM, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2PM. There will also be an additional 2PM matinee on June 15. The Orchard will play a limited engagement through Sunday, July 3, 2022. All attendees will be required to show ID and proof of COVID vaccination.

Ticket prices for Live & In-Person at the Baryshnikov Arts Center are $79, $59, and $39 with premium seating available. Tickets for the first week of previews are $69, $49, and $29.

Tickets for The Virtual Experience Online are $28. There are also bundles available for those who want to experience both versions of The Orchard and the prices are $100, $80, and $50 with premium seating available.

Tickets go on sale beginning April 12 exclusively for Audience Rewards members (www.audiencerewards.com). It's free to join. Tickets go on sale on April 15 to the public. For tickets and information, please visit: www.TheOrchardOffBroadway.com.